About AJS

The Association for Jewish Studies is a learned society and professional organization whose mission is to advance research and teaching in Jewish Studies at colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning, and to foster greater understanding of Jewish Studies scholarship among the wider public.

Membership

With more than 1900 individual members and over 70 institutional members, the AJS provides an intellectual forum for university faculty, graduate students, independent scholars, museum and related professionals, and all those interested in the scholarly field of Jewish Studies.

Annual Conference

With more than 1100 attendees, over 190 sessions, a major book exhibit of leading publishers, cultural programming, and gala banquet, the AJS Conference is the largest annual gathering of Jewish Studies scholars in the world.

Publications & Research

The publications of AJS are leading forums for exploring Jewish studies scholarship and critical issues in Jewish studies methodology and pedagogy: its peer-reviewed scholarly journal AJS Review, its magazine AJS Perspectives, and its e-newsletter AJS News.

Dr. Warren Hoffman named next Executive Director of the Association for Jewish Studies

Mar 13, 2017

Jewish communal leader and educator will head international society of students and scholars of Jewish Studies

New York, NY – The board of the Association for Jewish Studies (AJS), the largest international society of students and scholars of Jewish studies, announced today that Dr. Warren Hoffman will serve as its next Executive Director, effective April 24, 2017. Dr. Hoffman comes to AJS with more than thirteen years of experience in Jewish studies, Jewish education, and Jewish cultural programming. He was most recently Associate Director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. The recipient of a doctorate in American Literature from the University of California-Santa Cruz, Hoffman is the author of two scholarly books, The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical (2014) and The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture (2009). A playwright and the founder of the Philadelphia Jewish Music Festival, Hoffman has also taught Jewish Studies and English at St. Joseph’s University, the University of Delaware, Hunter College, and Temple University, where he also sits on the Advisory Board of the Feinstein Center for American Jewish History.

“As the largest international organization of scholars of Jewish Studies, we are deeply gratified to find a scholar, administrator, and cultural leader of Warren Hoffman’s stature to lead us into the future as the Association for Jewish Studies plans to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary in 2019,” said Dr. Pamela Nadell, President of the association and the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s and Gender History at American University.

“I am honored to serve as the next Executive Director of the Association for Jewish Studies at this very exciting time in the organization's history,” says Dr. Hoffman, “marking nearly half a century of strengthening the field of Jewish Studies. The Association for Jewish Studies played a significant role in my scholarly career dating back to my years as graduate student, and it is extremely gratifying to return to the organization in this leadership role. Alongside the dedicated scholars on the association’s Board of Directors, I look forward to guiding the organization into the next phase of its existence, not only continuing to provide the high level of service that its members have come to know, but also developing new programs that will engage the next generation of Jewish Studies scholars and offer methods of outreach that will convey the value of Jewish Studies to the general public.”

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in New York City, the Association for Jewish Studies now has two thousand members, who study and teach at colleges and universities on six continents. Jewish Studies students and scholars research, write, and teach about Jews and their cultures across time and space. During the annual AJS conference, more than half the membership gathers to share scholarship through presentations and panel discussions, follow trends in the field, and view scholarly books that were published in the past year. The AJS Distinguished Lecture Program connects many of the world’s most respected scholars of Jewish Studies with audiences in universities and other public settings.